The “Pale” was created in Czarist Russia in 1835 and lasted till the 1917 revolution. This area covered 386,100 square miles from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. The 1897 census recorded 4,899,300 Jews, which formed 94 percent of the total Jewish population of Russia. Most Jews lived in shtetlach (plural of shtetl, “small town”). Ben, born in 1885, and Leah, born in 1888, were no doubt included in the 1897 census figures.

Visit the Pale of Settlement website for a map and more information.

The pogroms and anti-Jewish decrees, especially those during the 1880’s to 1906, resulted in major Jewish immigration to Western Europe and the United States. The door slammed shut for Jewish Eastern European U.S. immigration in 1921, shortly after Lena departed for America. Passage, by Congress, of exclusionary laws in the 1920’s – The Quota Act of 1921 reduced Jewish (and all other ethnic groups) immigration to 3% of 1910 numbers; and the Reed-Johnson Immigration Act of 1924 further reduced immigration to 2% which effectively ended most Jewish immigration until 1965. It is very fortunate for the Miller Family that Ben left the Pale in 1914, before WWI erupted, and that Leah departed in 1920 before the repressive new quota restrictions were enacted. Tillie & Morris Chargo were also among the fortunate few who emigrated in 1924. For more information about the history of Jewish life in the Pale and why many left spend, visit the informative and extensive Beyond the Pale, The History of Jews in Russia website exhibit.

Bryan’s research found that many Jews migrated to South America in the 1400s after being expelled from Spain and Portugal. They spoke the language, etc. During the 1700-1900s, if you had the money, you went where you could… eventually you get tired of getting beaten or having your neighborhood set on fire… and there were established Jewish communities in South America and the Caribbean (specifically, Jamaica — first temple built in the early 1600s) Common Spanish-Jewish names… Perez, Ramirez… Portuguese… Cardoso (as in Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Cardozo 1932-1938).

The name Shargorodsky is one of the many Jewish family names that derive from places of origin or residence; “sky” meaning ‘of or from.’ It is very probable that Lena’s family originated in Shargorodsky as that was her maiden name. Her father, Ruben, had previously emigrated to America and settled in Minneapolis, MN.

Shargorod (Polish. Szarogrod; in Jewish sources Sharigrad), town in Vinnitsa Oblast, Ukraine. Until 1793 within Poland. An organized Jewish community existed there from the latter half of the 17th century. Both Jewish and Gentile inhabitants of Shargorod suffered from continued assaults by the Cossacks. In this period the community erected a magnificent fortified synagogue. When the town was conquered by the Turks toward the end of the 17th century the building was used as a mosque. During the 18th century the Jews of Shargorod played an important role in the trade with Turkey. In 1765 the community numbered 2,210, and was then the largest in Podolia. At the end of the 17th and first half of the 18th century Shargorod was the center of Shabbateanism. In the 19th century the Jews engaged in the trade of agricultural products, the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages, peddling in the villages of the region, and crafts. In 1881-82 the community suffered from pogroms. The Jewish population numbered 3,570 in 1847, and 3,859 (73% of the total) in 1897. In 1926 the community numbered 2,697 (55.9% of the total). During Nazi occupation and under Rumanian administration the Jews of Shargorod suffered serious losses. In 1970 Jews were living there but there was no synagogue.